DPS, How Not To Do It: #1 (Hunters)
June 11th, 2008 Posted in Class DiscussionThe first in a series, these articles aim to set down just what I think the different DPS classes can do to help with my tanking. After a heated discussion with a Hunter of my acquaintance, I thought it would be useful for me to make a note of the bad habits that some classes can exhibit, and what I’d like you to change, and when.
So, given a hunter set me down this road, I think a hunter’s role in the group is the first I’ll discuss.
And without much further ado…
Growl
Just Say No, kids. You might think you’re doing me a favour by having your pet off-tank a mob for me. You’re in no uncertain terms wrong. Your pet is a lot squishier than I am. Mend Pet isn’t going to hold off most damage from instance mobs, so the healer’s going to be stretched thinner too. I’m wearing plate, I’ll get more rage by being hit, and believe it or not I am capable of tanking more than one thing at once. Don’t confuse me with that pug tank you once met who was wearing dps leather in the mid-30s. Also, you don’t need to understand what’s going on outside your own target. Don’t try to.
Traps
That means knowing how and when to use which of them. On AoE pulls, a frost trap is wonderful, right under where I’ll be tanking. Otherwise, if I ask you to trap something, it’ll be a melee mob. Feel free, if I ask you to trap a caster and you don’t have silencing shot, to tell me to get lost, and I’ll happily give you something more sensible. Other than that, put your freezing trap well away from the squishies, so when it does break (and I’ll be keeping an eye on it), there’s time for me to get to it and get it away from them.
Targeting
Unless I’ve asked you to (or you’re a raidleader), don’t try to choose the next target. I’ll be marking targets, and in 5-mans much of the time you shouldn’t need to. Just concentrate on killing the skull. Let other people worry about the next target, or if something is munching through that warlock. If everyone decides to try to save their peers, I’ll lose aggro on everything trying to save you all. I know you’re wearing mail, but if the thing you pull onto you cleaves, there’s every chance you’ll get someone else killed.
Feign Death / Misdirect
Use Feign Death whenever you can. Use it when you’ve already pulled aggro and it’ll be too late, and even if you save yourself, again, you might get someone else killed. Similarly with Misdirect, on a boss fight, just keep misdirecting onto me (unless of course my threat lead is insurmountable). Every little bit of threat generated for me helps the party do more dps.
Well, that’s about it for what I think you can do for me. If there’s any pet hates (groan) that you hunters have with many tanks, then feel free to respond. I know that I can’t improve without constructive criticism!
9 Responses to “DPS, How Not To Do It: #1 (Hunters)”
By Loronar on Jun 11, 2008
I want more good tanks like you.
Just dropping by to say hi.
PS. Your character looks almost exactly the same as the warrior I’m trying to level. >.>
By Tankette on Jun 11, 2008
I have done some instances with our BG who happens to be a hunter and he is great. His pet is on the main target unless something goes wrong and a mob goes after a healer. At that point the pet off tanks to by time. It has saved our butts several times.
By Tankette on Jun 11, 2008
BG should have meen GM. How did I type that, lol.
By Nam on Jun 11, 2008
Yeah, there are plenty of good hunters out there, I agree. I’m not necessarily talking to them though
By Dezdemone on Jun 12, 2008
Hey you! Good post. I hope a lot of huntards read your blog =) hehehe
By Drotara on Jun 17, 2008
I just stumbled across your blog through some other linking. Great site. I love finding people who can post about some of their end-game experiences. Look forward to reading more!
By Woogsum on Jul 7, 2008
This is a bit of a necropost, but I wanted to add a little bit about Feign Death. FD should almost never be used *after* aggro has been pulled, only before to compensate for Hunters’ lack of innate threat reduction. The logic goes thus:
Hunters are ranged DPS, so when aggro is pulled, and a mob charges over towards a Hunter, the aggro calculations go pear-shaped. Maybe, if the Hunter feigns, the mob will go back to the tank. But maybe the threat numbers make it go eat the mage or warlock instead. It’s an uncertain situation.
The alternative is a more certain situation, which is to off-tank the mob until, at minimum, the tank is back in melee range. More often than not, waiting for a taunt/MB/roar is superior. Why?
There’s no one in a five-man, other than the tank or a Paladin, who is more survivable than a Hunter. Hunter itemisation is such that they stack mitigation and avoidance stats moreso than anything but a tank. Group-buffed with Monkey up, 10k health and 30% dodge is not outrageous. Tack on all the kiting and CC tools (Conc Shot, Wing Clip, traps), and any Hunter worth grouping with will take a mob’s DPS better than virtually any other member.
This strategy ensures also that the tank knows where the mob will be during the time it takes him to run back over to the mob. It ensures that Intervene isn’t wasted on a suddenly Feigned Hunter while the mob traipses off to a healer. It simply reduces the variables present in the situation, which works out a lot better than playing the
By Namthe on Jul 7, 2008
I welcome necromancy, especially when it makes valid points like this. Very much agree with all of them.
By Pike on Jul 13, 2008
Huge thanks for this post, there are waaaaaay too many of my fellow hunters out there who I run into who do NOT know this type of stuff. And they should, because it’s basic stuff.
In a place with lots of opportunities for LOS then I am usually fine trapping casters even without Silencing Shot. But it’s admittedly a risk you will have to take, asking a hunter to do that… probably many are not sure how.